Every session we have had shy children the parents have come in and specifically told us, "Please take care of them", and hesitantly added, "not sure how they will respond!" At the end of the sessions, we have had many a teary eyed parent eagerly wanting to know all about their child's responses because we would typically have not one, not two but several instances of the child opening up, sharing and willingly participating in activities!
They have wanted to know how we got them to respond so well, share and participate! I think the recipe for it is as profound as it is simple. The key is to acknowledge that they matter and their opinion matters. Like I said earlier, it is as simple as it sounds and as profound as it gets. In a world where we have ranks, performance curves, grades and where having the right answer matters, the children who think different go silent, a child who tends to process information in a different manner than the norm will go silent and the shy types who would rather be in their heads than share thoughts with others, will also go silent. There are quite a few other types, but these are the three main categories.
Our sessions focus and celebrate differences among children's thinking styles. It is good to be different. If we are not all different then we will create a world of clones and it won't be fun, it won't be productive. In the process, the shy one's open up, the ones that process differently tell us how and what they are thinking and since, there is never one right answer, the sky is the limit for sharing one's ideas and perspective. Most times, the ideas keep spurting on discussions and topics already covered, even as we move on to newer territories!
They have wanted to know how we got them to respond so well, share and participate! I think the recipe for it is as profound as it is simple. The key is to acknowledge that they matter and their opinion matters. Like I said earlier, it is as simple as it sounds and as profound as it gets. In a world where we have ranks, performance curves, grades and where having the right answer matters, the children who think different go silent, a child who tends to process information in a different manner than the norm will go silent and the shy types who would rather be in their heads than share thoughts with others, will also go silent. There are quite a few other types, but these are the three main categories.
Our sessions focus and celebrate differences among children's thinking styles. It is good to be different. If we are not all different then we will create a world of clones and it won't be fun, it won't be productive. In the process, the shy one's open up, the ones that process differently tell us how and what they are thinking and since, there is never one right answer, the sky is the limit for sharing one's ideas and perspective. Most times, the ideas keep spurting on discussions and topics already covered, even as we move on to newer territories!
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